


what must it be like, to grow up so beautiful?

by casuallysavingtheworld



Series: all's well that ends well to end up with you [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Blood, Din pining, Din reflects on the times he knew he had feelings for Luke, Fix-it sorta?, Good Parent Din Djarin, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, Luke Skywalker Needs A Hug, M/M, Post Season 2, Scars, Touch-Starved Din Djarin, mention of injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:21:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28617978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casuallysavingtheworld/pseuds/casuallysavingtheworld
Summary: Grinding his teeth down, Din was once again, grateful for his famed helmet to hide how he was really feeling. Leaning against a wall, away from the rest of the party guests, the party Leia had crafted, Din couldn’t help but think about the moments he realized he had feelings for the Jedi.(Din thinks about all the moments he realized he had feelings for a certain Jedi)
Relationships: Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda & Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker
Series: all's well that ends well to end up with you [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2102814
Comments: 36
Kudos: 563





	what must it be like, to grow up so beautiful?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, so this was suppose to be fic based off Gold Rush by Taylor Swift, and all of the sudden it was about Din's massive crush on Luke, which I feel like we don't see much of in fics. This is also my longest fic ever, and I have no idea what this is, so do with this fic what you will, I make no promises it's actually good. Also, there is an injury in this fic that mentions blood and bruises, eventually scars, so just a warning!
> 
> EDIT: I changed some of the parts that are discussing attachments, realizing that I hadn't updated it before posting. Hopefully, it explains attachments better than I previously had :D

Din hated this feeling. 

As he watched Luke across the room, everyone preening over him, trying to get his attention, the hero of the millennium, Luke kriffing Skywalker, Din couldn’t help the jealousy that rose in his gut. Of course everyone would be all over Luke, with his beautiful golden hair that always seemed to be perfectly in place, and his crystal blue eyes that always seemed to twinkle just right no matter what lighting he was in. And of course, this wonderful man would be the person Din developed feelings for. 

“Yes, of course Senator, that makes complete sense,” Din heard Luke’s voice perfectly over the noise of the other party guests and the music the band was playing. 

Grinding his teeth down, Din was once again, grateful for his famed helmet to hide how he was really feeling. Leaning against a wall, away from the rest of the party guests, the party Leia had crafted, Din couldn’t help but think about the moments he realized he had feelings for the Jedi. 

* * *

Din was visiting Yavin IV for a couple of weeks while he was in between jobs, with the new ship Cara and Greef had managed to scrounge up for him. Din was picking up a few things from the hull to bring into the Temple, with promised supplies for the Temple. 

“Din!” Still not used to his name being used, he turned quickly to see a very sweaty Luke Skywalker running out of the forest nearby with Din’s kid strapped to his back. 

Giving Din one of his best Skywalker smiles, Luke jogged over to Din, pushing the sweaty hair out of his face. Din hadn’t really looked at him before, mainly because Luke was usually covered in his Jedi robes and cloak and he was usually busy with Grogu, but with the tan workout get-up Luke had on, made a quick flush rise to his face. 

“Din, it’s so good to see you,” Luke said when he reached the ship. 

“Yeah, it’s- it’s good to be back,” Din said, incredibly thankful for his helmet to keep his facial expressions hidden. 

“Buir! Buir!” Grogu yelped, as he made grabby hands for his father.

“One second, Grogu,” Luke told him, unclasping the makeshift baby carrier, and taking out the green little womp-rat, “There you go, back to Buir,” 

Din blinked as Luke swiftly took the boxes from Din, and placed Grogu in their place. Luke was still smiling at the Mandalorian as he nodded his head over towards the Temple. 

“Shall we go inside? I hope you brought more of that tea you had last time, the younglings and the padawans blew through it,” Luke’s elbow brushed Din’s arm, and Din’s brain short-circuited for a moment. 

Din stood as Luke kept talking, walking backwards, making his way across the landing yard. He had never really looked at Luke, but now, Luke was sunshine embodied. Din could see the strong definitions of muscles of his arms, and the appearances of abs from Luke’s tight, tan workout shirt, which was damp with sweat. Din’s eyes scanned Luke’s face, noticing all freckles and moles that had appeared at some point, and the dimples by his mouth that Din didn’t remember Luke having before, and how beautiful and red Luke’s lips-

“Din?” Din shook his head, breaking himself out of his trance. Luke tilted his head, still giving him a kind smile. 

“Din, is everything alright?” Luke asked, as even Grogu made a questioning noise at his father. 

“Yes, everything is fine,” Din said curtly, moving to follow behind the Jedi, “I did bring the tea with me, I know it’s Grogu’s favorite...and yours as well.” 

In his newly discovered attraction, Din had forgotten to ask Luke what the hell he was doing with Din’s kid strapped onto his back. 

* * *

The next time Din wanted to shoot himself with his own blaster because of the feelings that he was developing for Luke had been a particularly cool day on Yavin IV. Din was working on some repairs for his ship, while Luke was working with the older Padawans on some lightsaber moves. From the cockpit of the ship, Din tinkered with Grogu in the passenger seat, as Luke demonstrated the form for his students, ever patient as they tried their hand at it. 

Grogu was happily babbling as Din worked, with Din responding every so often, both of them just happy to have some time together. When Luke had come to take Grogu away, part of him had broken off, and he then understood what Tano was saying about attachments, and how much they would always hurt. When he watched the elevators close on Grogu, he had already resorted himself to live the rest of his life in solitude. Din had already lost the Razor Crest, his covert, what’s this? What’s losing the only living thing that Din had chosen to see his face in decades, what’s losing the only thing Din cared about in this world? This would just be another chip in his armor, and he would make an attempt to go back to the way things were, and close himself off again. 

That was, until his comms had beeped a few minutes later with the coordinates to an ancient Jedi temple-turned Rebellion Base-turned back into Jedi Temple. Unsure how the Jedi had gotten his comms code, that part didn’t matter. He didn’t have to be alone anymore. So, Din stuck his helmet back on his head and stalked out of the bridge and left the Darksaber there with them. He stole a ride off of Boba, and slowly made his way over to the planet where his kid was. 

Luckily, he had kind friends, and they were all willing to get him where he needed to be, right next to Grogu. 

“Okay my young padawans, we’re gonna move through our meditations to wind down the day,” Luke’s voice trailed over the courtyard. 

Din chuckled when he heard some of the kids groan in response, and he was pretty sure Luke was hiding back a smirk. 

“Last part of the day, I promise, and then maybe we can all play a game of force square,” Luke promised his students, who then all cheered in response.

“Hey kid, would you wanna play with them?” Din turned his head to ask Grogu, who perked up at the idea, “Okay, lemme finish this up, and I’ll take you out to them,” 

Grogu cooed in happiness at the idea of playing with his friends, and Din smiled under his helmet, he was a lucky guy, all things considered. Rolling back under the control panel, he attempted to tighten something when oil spurted everywhere, drenching his gloves and getting all over his helmet and chestplate. Forever grateful for the face protection, Din groaned and rolled back out. Grogu giggled when he saw the mess that was currently his father. 

“You don’t get to laugh at me after you spit up blue cookies that one time,” Din chuckled, wiping down his visor with his cloak, before pulling off his gloves, “I guess I should get cleaned up,” 

Carefully picking up Grogu as to not get any oil on his nice Jedi robes, the father and son duo made their way out of the ship. Obviously hearing Din’s footsteps, Luke had turned around, opening his eyes to see what was going on, since characteristically, Din was very good about not disturbing the meditation peace, unlike some of Luke’s students. 

“Is everything okay?” Luke whispered, trying his best not to ruin the concentration of his students. 

“Yeah, just a bit of a malfunction, but I gotta clean off my suit,” Din whispered back, crouching down to Luke’s level. 

Luke smiled as Din got closer to him, and Din did everything in his power to not let that go to his head. 

“Will you take Grogu for a little bit, I know you are teaching but-” Din started, and Luke put his hand up to stop him, noticing his students moving a bit more. 

“Of course,” Luke spoke softly, and reached out to take Grogu from his hands. 

Din almost choked when their fingertips brushed, feeling his cheeks go up in flames. Luke’s cheeks went red as well, as the pair let the touch linger for as long as the moment would last. Luke stared past the visor, his eyes trying to find Din’s, but Din ducked his head, moving away from Luke when he knew Grogu was safely in Luke’s hands. Luke placed Grogu in his lap, and looked to be reaching up to grab Din’s hand again, when Din shot up and walked away as quickly and quietly as he could. 

Finding a hiding place in his room in the temple, Din quickly took off his helmet in the bathroom, which he had made sure to lock. Staring at himself in the mirror, Din splashed water on his face, looking at how absolutely wrecked he looked by one simple brush of fingertips. Not even handholding for fuck’s sake. Luke Skywalker was going to ruin Din Djarin, and it was all because of a quick brush of hands. He couldn’t even imagine what Luke's hands would feel like caressing his face, and this train of thought caused another bright flush to move over his face, and Din put his head in his hands, and groaned. 

This wasn’t going to end well.

* * *

Din knew his feelings for Luke ran deeper than just a silly crush, a gold rush. It had been two months since the fingertip incident, which neither of the men had brought up, except Din couldn’t get it out of his head, and he was growing all the more frustrated. After a late night, with Grogu fussing and crying all night long, the little womp-rat finally went down, just as the sun was coming up. Din was exhausted, dragging himself from their room to get some hot water for the tea he bought on his last job. 

Footsteps echoed in the halls, silent with the dawn of a new day, and Din was grateful for the lack of noise. Grogu really had a pair of lungs on him when he wanted to make it known that he was upset. Din had hoped the kid didn’t disturb any of the older foundlings, Din would feel terrible if anyone else felt as worn out as he did. 

Rounding the corner, he stopped suddenly. 

“Good morning,” Luke said, sleep still heavy in his voice. 

“Good morning,” Din returned, stepping into the room slowly. 

Luke sat at the table staring out the window, the dawn sun shining through the windows, turning his hair golden. He looked worn-out, a kind of tired Din understood, and all too well. Luke’s hands gripped the mug that sat in front of him, steam billowing up. Luke’s eyes were bleary and unfocused, and Din worried. 

“Sorry if the kid woke you up, I know it was pretty loud,” Din said, grabbing the tea strainer, and a mug for himself. 

Luke shook his head, “No, he didn’t wake me up, don’t worry.” 

The duo fell silent again, Din moving to grab the tea he had brought. The teas were a deep indigo, reminding Din of the Aura blossom from Endor. The smell was like lavender and mint, and hopefully, it could work it’s wonders, and relax Din enough so he could get some rest as well. Looking back over at Luke, who seemed pretty out of it, he poured the hot water over the leaves. 

“You alright?” Din asked, and Luke looked up at him. 

“I don’t...sleep well anymore, haven’t for a while,” Luke told him, and Din moved over, and pulled out a chair. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Din left the table open for Luke, but he just looked over at him. 

Din’s eyes caught Luke’s through the visor. The sunlight twinkled in his eyes, so blue, and so tired. Din gave him space to find his words, not wanting any admission from Luke to be one that was accidentally forced in anyway. 

“You really have no idea who I am, do you?” Luke turned the questions on Din, who just tilted his head. 

“Should I?” 

Luke chuckled, and brought the mug up to his lips, taking a sip. The sunrise had turned the entire room golden, the yellow flowers on the vines that were hanging from the ceiling slowly opening for the new day. 

“It’s nice,” Luke admitted, “I like having you around,” 

Adding this to the list of times Luke Skywalker made him grateful for his helmet, Din’s cheeks flushed red, closing his eyes, focusing on those words. He tilted his head down, staring into the steeping tea, watching the water turn into a beautiful magenta. 

“I like being around,” Din told him, and Luke smiled. 

“The nightmares are about my time in the rebellion, it was a couple of years, and a lot happened. My sister gets them too now, even being so far from her, I can feel her fears, and those keep me up longer than my own worries,” Din could tell he wasn’t gonna get much else out of Luke, so he just gave him a nod. 

The pair sat, as Luke sipped his tea, watching as the sun finished rising, and suddenly, Din didn’t feel as tired anymore. 

“I get nightmares too,” Din revealed, and Luke reached over, taking Din’s hand in his. 

“Maybe...we should deal with them together,” The suggestion was out in the open, and beneath his helmet, Din smiled. 

“Yeah, I’d like that,” 

The pair lapsed into a comfortable quiet, as the noises of the students rising for the day made their way into the kitchen, and Din could tell these early mornings would become sacred to them. 

* * *

The issue, however, with Luke, was that Luke was just as restless as Din was, and that was all the more terrifying. If Din’s friends thought he was bad at staying in one place for long, they hadn’t even seen how bad Luke was at it. Din could always see in his fingertips when Luke was starting to get an itch to run off to the stars. Din started offering to stay more when Luke found the urge to run off, and he could tell Luke was grateful for that. 

Din had been spending some time in between jobs at the Temple, getting to know the place a little better, and trying to understand what Luke had happening here. Grogu seemed happy enough with everything, alway seemed to be babbling on about something, and the older children tried their best to include the kid. Luke had gotten a report from the New Republic that there were some rumors about some ancient Jedi artifacts that were being hunted down by some more remnant Imperial forces, and Luke had asked Din to watch the temple, even if Din was more than willing to go with him. 

It was a pleasant day, if one could really say that about Yavin IV’s weather for Din, a little warm for his liking, but the sunny day allowed the range of students to have an excellent free day. Din and Grogu had been spending the day relaxing while Din fixed up his blaster and practiced some force moves together, which was mostly just catch, when Luke, King of Dramatic Entrances, Skywalker, pretty much crash-landed back on Yavin IV. 

Some of the younger padawans let out high pitched screams, as the Master Jedi’s ship crashed through the tops of the trees, and the ship bounced as it hit the ground. Skidding to a stop with an awful sound, the following silence was even more terrifying and Din jumped up from where he was sitting. He had never seen Luke’s X-Wing look in such bad shape, Artoo screaming from his place on the ship, smoke rising, blaster and cannon fire scorched the sides of the ship. 

“You!” Din pointed at one of the older padawans, a Togruta named Arora Di, “Get Grogu and get the rest of the kids into the Temple, we don’t know how close to Yavin Luke was attacked.” 

Arora Di nodded, getting another Padawan, a Wookiee named Tiv to round up the kids. Arora ran over to Grogu and picked him, as Grogu screamed and reached for his father, but Din had already started moving. 

“LUKE!” Din yelled as he sprinted towards the ship. 

Luckily, the steps up to the cockpit were still mostly intact, as Din threw himself up it, climbing on top of the ship. Ignoring the screaming droid, Din looked into the cockpit, trying to see if Luke was okay, but the amount of smoke made it hard to see. He gripped the edges of the glass, trying to pry it open, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Come on, droid, open this damn thing,” He grunted, as the droid beeped angrily at him, causing Din to roll his eyes. 

Nonetheless, the droid managed to get the cockpit open, and there was Luke. Purple and blue bruises were already appearing near his eyes, nose at a slight angle, and Din could tell it was broken. Luke’s hair was damp with sweat, and his face had multiple cuts, sticky with blood. His robes looked like they were singed, the stickiness of the blood making it's way through and the burnt fabric smell wafting up towards him, along with the metallic smell that Din knew very well. What scared Din the most, was the fact that Luke wasn’t moving. 

“Luke?” Din questioned, shaking him slightly, and Luke’s head just rolled to the side.

Din took a second to calm himself, before reaching into the ship, and unclasping the shipbelt. Placing his hands underneath Luke’s arms, Din carefully hauled him out, leaning the Jedi against his body, listening at the ragged and shaky breaths Luke was releasing, and Din could have cried in relief right then. Scooting towards the ladder, Din held onto Luke tightly, before shifting his arms underneath the Jedi’s knees and his back. 

After making it down from the ship, Din walked as fast as he could to attempt not to disturb Luke, who’s face had scrunched up in pain. Making his way through the temple, Din caught the eyes of concerned younglings and Padawans. Grogu reached out to him from the arms of Tiv, and Din sighed. 

“It’s okay guys, he’ll be okay, but we should get him to medical now,” Din said, and the children nodded. 

“I’ll take you there,” Arora said, “Nuyra, call Senator Organa just like Master Skywalker told us to do, tell her to come right away.” 

Nuyra, a small Mirialan child nodded, running in the opposite direction that Arora was leading him in. Din understood it must have scared the children to see their master look so...broken, but Din was proud of the kids for putting up strong fronts. Their footsteps rang out through the empty hallways, and he couldn’t help but think about a time when Jedi must have filled these halls, with boisterous laughter and chatting. The silence of the trio rubbed Din the wrong way, and he knew the fact that Luke was one of the last Jedi, hurt him more than Luke would talk about. 

They reached medical, and Din placed Luke on the table. A medical droid made its way out of the shadows, scaring Din a bit. Din tensed up as the droid got closer to Luke, but Arora placed her hand on Din’s, which was resting on the table. Looking over at the Togruta, noticing the distinct pattern of her facial pigments, and her montrals were a soft purple. He softened as she smiled at him. 

“This is a 2-1B surgical droid, Master Skywalker fixed him up himself. He likes to call the droid Fixer. Fixer helped me when I got a bad cut and needed stitches. Master Skywalker is in good hands, I promise,” Arora attempted to comfort him, stepping back. 

Din nodded at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, tears growing in her eyes, attempting to hide her sniffles. Din’s heart broke watching the kid try to stay strong. He crouched down to her level, making sure his line of sight was directly in hers. 

“Hey kid, Master Skywalker is going to be okay, he’s in good hands, right?” Din said, opening his arms for her, which she threw herself into, letting the sobs out in the open. 

Din was really the only parent consistently keeping track of his child amongst this cohort. According to Luke, a lot of them had been abandoned when he found the children. Luke had really opened up his heart for these kids, just like Din had done for Grogu. If Grogu already saw him as a father, these foundlings must think Luke hung each star in the sky for them. Din couldn’t even blame them for that. He rubbed her back as she cried, only attempting to make the same soothing sounds that Din knew Grogu liked. Arora sniffled, unwrapping herself from Din’s arms, using her forearms to wipe snot and tears from her face. 

“Master Skywalker has taught you guys really well, especially considering how great you guys were in a rough situation, and I know he’s gonna be so proud of you guys for staying strong, alright?” Din whispered, “This doesn’t mean you guys shouldn’t be upset about what just happened, it was pretty scary, and I don’t blame you guys for being freaked out.” 

Arora nodded, her tears subsiding. Din wishes he could do more, make Luke better now, just for these foundlings. 

“I’m going to sit with him for a little bit, just make sure he’s okay. I want you guys to stay inside, and don’t hesitate to come get me for anything. ” Din told the Padawan, who nods, and makes her way out of the medical room. 

Din sat on the nearest bench, sinking slowly as he watched the droid carefully. There were many times where Din felt helpless, and useless in situations. While a capable warrior, Din’s medical training was lacking. Staring at the man he had developed feelings for, he added this to his list. Holding his head in his hands, Din blinked back tears thinking about how broken Luke had looked in that cockpit, and all Din wished for was Luke’s crystal blue eyes to open up and tell him everything was going to be okay. 

Tiv came through and dropped off Grogu, who had apparently been pretty crabby and angry about not being near his father. Din was grateful for how kind the students were. From his spot on Din’s lap, Grogu reached up towards the helmet. Glancing over at the droid, and knowing that Luke wouldn’t wake up for a while, Din unlocked the helmet, and pulled it up, off his head. Grogu babbled happily as he saw Din’s face.

“Buir!” He babbled, and Din gave him a soft smile.

“Hey kid, how are you doing?” Din whispered, gloved hand reaching out to touch his ears, which Grogu just cooed in response. 

The two of them sat like that for a while, watching as the medical droid worked. Grogu cuddled into his shoulder, his snores being the only other sound from the droid. Balancing the child in his arms, and grabbing his helmet, Din got up as the droid looked to be finishing up his work, moving over to look at Luke. 

The man looked so still, and Din hated seeing him like this. His nose looked like it was set, a bandage over it and a matching purple bruise to his eyes. outlined his nose. He had stitches in his forehead and on his cheek. The droid had removed his robes, showing off the toned body that always seemed to be hidden beneath. What shocked Din the most, were how many scars lined his body, looking like lightning bolts, a raised pink color compared to his skin color, some of them still looking red and angry. The droid had placed bandages around his arm, his abdomen, and a large gaze over his chest and around his thigh, probably from blaster-fire.

Maybe, in Din’s wildest fantasies he had thought about what it would be like to wake up next to the Jedi, and watch him peacefully sleep, but this was different, this hurt Din to see. Placing his helmet next to Luke, Din took off his glove, reaching up and brushing the damp strands of hair out of his face. Tracing his knuckle down Luke’s cheek, Din couldn’t help the tears that built up in his eyes. 

“You’re gonna be okay, I promise,” Din whispered to Luke. 

The Jedi started shifting, face contorting a bit. Din quickly moved his hand away from Luke, picking up his helmet and placing it back on his head. Luke blinked his eyes open, adjusting to the harsh lighting of the medical room. 

“Din,” He croaked, reaching up towards him. Din grabbed his hand, and tried his hardest not to focus on the skin to skin contact. Luke had rough hands, which made more sense then Din had previously thought. 

“Hey, rest some more, Senator Organa is on her way,” Din said, clasping his hand in Luke’s, which got him a half-smile from the weary Jedi. 

“What happened?” Luke asked, his grip on Din’s hand tightening. “I was ambushed, and barely made it back to the ship, and then I don’t remember anything.” 

“All we know is you crashed back on Yavin, your ship’s in pretty bad shape, and so were you.” Luke’s eyes widened at Din’s answer.

“The students...are the students okay?” Din nodded, “Good, good, you said Leia’s on her way?” 

“Nuyra contacted her a couple of hours ago, she should be here soon,” Luke squeezed Din’s hand, trying to give him a smile but just looked worn-out, barely able to keep his eyes open. 

“Luke,” He blinked up at Din, “Rest.” 

Luke nodded, eyes blinking shut. Din stood over him for a few more moments, until he felt Grogu shifting in his arms. He turned, and made his way out of medical. His footsteps echoing in the hallway, just the pair of them. He followed the distant voices he heard, making his way out to the courtyard, to see all the children sitting together, watching a ship land. Luke’s droid, Artoo, had made its way off the ship, and beeped as it saw familiar faces. 

The light freighter landed, and Din could hear how bad the ship sounded as it landed. For a senator, this ship wasn’t very fancy, in all honesty it was a piece of junk. The ramp creaked as it was lowered, and there was a beautiful woman sprinting down it. Looking regal, and holding a young child on her hip, she spotted the children and Din, jogging over. A man ran down after her, quickly followed by a Wookie. Din swore he recognized the man from somewhere but he couldn’t place him, and Din watched as the man did a double-take when looking at him. Artoo squealed as the group made their way towards the temple. 

“Where is Luke?” The woman asked, looking at Din. 

“He’s in medical, resting. Are you Senator Organa?” Din asked. 

“Leia, Luke’s sister,” She looked worried, and Din noticed all the same worry lines he had seen on Luke before. 

“I can take you there,” Nuyra said, standing up to greet them, and Leia gave the child a smile. 

The man came up behind Leia, placing his hand on her shoulder and on the child she was holding. The man looked him up and down. 

“You know it’s funny, I swore you were this other guy,” The man chuckled, so did the Wookie and Leia swatted him. 

“Han, not now,” 

“You can call me Din,” He reached a hand out, and the pair shook it. Han and Leia, Luke’s family, “I’ll let you go see him,” 

They thanked him and followed Nuyra to where Luke was. Din watched as they all but sprinted down the halls, his mind focusing on the fact that Luke had this beautiful family. There were very few times that Din had felt anything pseudo romantic for anyone else, he could count on one hand all the barley romantic interactions he had had. Omera may really have been the only one, the first person he would have been willing to settle down with, but the kid, and the Empire, and it was never going to work out. But with Luke, _with Luke,_ it was a different feeling. Every time Luke laughed, Din wanted to be the one making him laugh. Din enjoyed the early mornings that the pair had started spending together, with Din making tea for two instead of just himself now. No one had really enjoyed the types of tea Din did, until he met Luke Skywalker. 

Din hated feeling this way towards people, even with Omera. Falling for someone always left Din with an ache in his chest, and since he was never in the same place for very long, it never felt fair to the person he was falling for, just to leave them behind. It got even worse when Grogu showed up, and Din had to run around the Galaxy just to keep him safe for a little while there. But once again, Luke made it different. Luke...had let him stay, with no force to stay forever or for long, and Yavin IV had quickly become Din’s preferred landing ground. 

Grogu cooed in his arms, telling his father that he was awake, and he tilted his head down to look at his kid, his family. 

“Let’s get some food kids, it’s been a day,” Din said to the students and Grogu squealed in delight at the idea. 

Din told the students to follow him to the kitchen, who all seemed eager to focus on something else, and Din realized, maybe...this is part of the life Din wanted for himself, and these feelings for Luke weren’t going away anytime soon. 

* * *

Din stared out across the forest at the stars. He was sitting on one of the temple balconies, legs hanging off the edge, taking a couple of moments to himself. Grogu was asleep in his room, hopefully dreaming about eating frogs or something. Din sighed, leaning back on his hands, trying to find something in the sky to calm his racing mind. 

He doesn’t feel an itch to jet off the same way anymore, not after watching Luke crash a few weeks prior. Everything finally seemed to be falling back into normalcy, with Luke starting up formal training again. Leia had taken over the day to day operations, with Han and the wookiee, Chewbacca, helping out where they could. Leia had eventually introduced the young child on her hip as her son, Ben. According to Leia, he was strong in the force, but Han couldn’t bear to let him out of his sights just yet, so Leia had been the one doing the bulk of the force-training for now, like what Luke had been doing for Grogu.

Din had attempted to take a couple steps back, trying to let Luke’s family take care of him, but the padawans refused to let him out of their sights. So, Din did what his mother had when his uncle got hurt all those years ago, and started to cook for the students, who all appreciated getting a break from Han’s awful cooking. It was a fun time, and Din had the older padawans, Tiv, Nuyra and Arora, help him make dinner for everyone, getting to know them better. The younger padawans, including Grogu, were the ones who regularly helped Luke out in the gardens, so Din took over that time with them, trying to help everyone find an amount of comfort while Luke was getting better. 

“Hey,” Din turned, seeing Luke outlined by the lights of the temple. 

“Hey, what are you doing out here?” Din asked, trying to hide his concern. 

Luke limped over to the Mandalorian, which had Din up in milliseconds to help him. Luke rolled his eyes, but let Din guide him to the edge anyways. Luke groaned as he lowered himself to the ground, but Din didn’t say anything. The bruises on Luke’s face were a ugly yellow-green, and he still had stitches in, but he was up and moving, and that helped Din’s worries. 

“Trying to get a second to talk to the man who’s been avoiding me since I crashed a couple of weeks ago.” 

“Luke, I-” Din started, and Luke put his hand up to stop him. 

“It’s okay, I just, I hate when Leia gets all sisterly like this, it’s so unlike her, and Han being willing to cook...I was in pretty bad shape that day, wasn’t I?” Luke asked, and Din turned to look at him. 

Everything about Luke was bright, golden. Luke was a kind man, always caring for the kids first, their families second, and then himself third. All the Padawans and younglings seemed to be enamored with their master, who had dedicated so much of his life for their teaching, and Grogu was just the same. He babbled the same way to Luke that he did to Din, and that didn’t help the bubbly feeling in Din’s chest. 

“It was pretty bad,” Din agreed, and Luke sighed. 

“I’ve been wanting to thank you for getting me out of there, and everything you’ve been doing around the temple, but every time I’ve tried to say anything, you’ve pretty much turned and ran in the other direction.” Luke stated, slight teasing in his voice, and Din mentally kicked himself. 

“I wanted you to have time with your family, and I didn’t want to intrude on that time with each other. Thought I could give you the same thing you gave me and Grogu. You just showed up, offering to teach my kid, and I never asked you about your life, who you were before all of this, and I felt...guilty.” Din admitted, and Luke just stared at him, “All I know is that you’re Luke Skywalker, and for some reason, you have been the only person willingly to train Grogu, and you’ve opened up your life to all these children, who act like you hung the stars in the sky, and I hate myself for barely knowing anything about your past.” 

Luke was silent after Din’s confession, turning his head away and staring out into the night sky. Din attempted to swallow the guilt in his throat, trying to not let his anxiety get the better of him. 

“I grew up on Tatooine.” Luke broke the silence, turning his head back to Din. 

“What?” 

“You said you didn’t know anything about my past, so this is me telling you. I grew up on Tatooine, I wasn’t raised with Leia as my sister, she was raised on Alderaan. We were separated when we were born. I was raised by my Aunt Beru and my Uncle Owen. They were my father’s family, I think Uncle Owen was his step-brother? Anyways, they owned a moisture farm, we were farmers, lived basically out in the middle of nowhere. I hated it there, have you ever been to Tatooine? Not really much to get out of that place, but there were some good people. I wanted to see the galaxy, fly among the stars,” Luke explained. 

“I’m guessing you got what you wanted?” Din questioned, and Luke shook his head, letting out a chuckle.

“You know, it seems so crazy now, I can give you more details later, but eventually, I learned that my father wasn’t who I thought he was, that Crazy Old Ben wasn’t who I thought he was either, and found out my aunt and uncle were dead. My whole life changed in a matter of a couple of hours, nothing was the same, and I didn’t really know how to handle it. I...was a new person, I was _Luke Skywalker_ , I blew up the First Death Star, started my Jedi Training, and...” Luke trailed off, Din lets him find the words. 

“And I found out my father was Darth Vader,” Luke whispered, and Din was surprised but didn't say anything, “My father was...Darth Vader, and he cut off my hand, Father of the Year, right?” 

Luke shook his head, lifting up his right hand, turning it over and staring at it. Din reached out, and took the cybernetic hand in his, letting Luke know he was right here. Luke looked at him, tears in his eyes, and Din could guess that Luke hadn’t talked about this out loud very often. 

“He was Anakin Skywalker once, he was a Jedi Knight, a pilot. Old Ben said they were like brothers and... my father loved my mother too much, and he fell to the darkside trying to protect her, to save Leia and I, and he ruined himself, choosing power over his family, the Order. He was manipulated for years, all his support systems were destroyed in hours, but he chose the path he did. However, I don’t think the Old Jedi Order’s rules didn’t help anything for him, they didn't allow attachments, and I think because of that he never really learned to love without obsession,” Luke explained.

“But you allow attachments?” Din asked, a bit confused, and Luke nodded. 

“Yeah, because healthy attachments keep us grounded, healthy attachments mean loving people the right way, the way that they deserve. Receiving love is how we learn to love others, so when the Order removed the love that comes with healthy attachments, they stopped teaching that healthy love. A lot of Jedis did fine with it, my father was not one of them. I think if they had shown my father how to love people properly, his mother, my mother, my sister and I, maybe the Republic wouldn’t have fucking fallen, and...well, you know...maybe I wouldn’t be the last Jedi,”

Din could hear the frustration in Luke’s voice, and see the tension in Luke’s shoulders, rolling it back, trying to calm himself. Luke lets out a heavy, frustrated sigh, and Din can only watch him. Still golden, still _good_ , despite everything that had happened to him, the messiest parts of his life, and he could tell, part of Luke blamed himself for the Empire even having existed at all, and Din’s heart broke. 

Reaching out, Din cupped the back of Luke’s neck, and brought their foreheads together, carefully and released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Luke gasped, but brought his hand up to the side of Din’s helmet, fingers tracing the edges. From inside, Din could see the tears that were rolling down Luke’s face, and Din released Luke’s hand to reach up and wipe the tears away. 

“You are not to blame for the issues of the entire kriffing galaxy, Luke,” Din said firmly, “You’re just a man, you’re still you, still Luke. You’re not gonna become your father just because you love a little too deep sometimes,"

Din takes a moment, giving Luke a moment, before Din tells him his story, trying to spit out the words before he could stop himself. 

“I was a foundling, I had parents once, but our city was attacked by droids, and they died. The Children of the Watch, a sect of Mandalorians who are strict in their beliefs, found me and took me in. I trained as a warrior and joined the tribe. I was a bounty hunter for a while, good at it, I think that’s where I recognize your brother-in-law.” Luke let out a chuckle, “Eventually, I was hired for the job that led me to Grogu, and we discovered his powers after he protected me from the mudhorn, which is the symbol of our clan. Our clan of two. I couldn’t give him up, so I ran across the galaxy to protect him, eventually things happened, and we tried to find someone to train him, the first Jedi denied him, and I took him to the stone on Tython, where Grogu was captured. We were rescuing him when you showed up, and saved us, saved him,” 

Luke let out a shaky sigh, nodding, listening and taking in every word Din said, processing. Foreheads still pressed together, Din hoped that Luke knew what Din was doing with this gesture, that this was more than just comfort, that this ran deeper than just a friendly show of support. 

“Din...” Luke whispered, running his hand down his arm, tangling their fingers together. 

“I think I love you,” Din said, before he could stop himself, and Luke smiled, laughing. 

“I think I love you too,” Luke responded, and Din’s heart felt like it could burst. 

Luke wrapped his arms around Din, pulling them together. Din reached up, tangling his fingers in Luke’s hair, sighing.

“Thank you for everything,” Luke spoke softly, and Din understood that this meant multitudes. 

“For you? Anything, _Cyar’ika,_ ” 

* * *

Luke’s laugh transported Din out of his daydreams, where Din’s attention was brought back to what seemed to be a very intoxicated Senator placing his hands on Luke’s arm, and letting out a large laugh, that Din knew was an exaggeration. Din was married to Luke, yes, but that wouldn’t mean Din would say the man actually had a good sense of humor, especially spending so much time around children. What Din noticed more, was Luke’s face grimacing with discomfort, but forever the good diplomat, he wouldn’t say anything. 

Din debated on a rescue, when Luke’s eyes met his visor, and Luke gave him one of his brightest smiles yet, and excused himself from his current conversation. The dark robes were flowing behind him, and they were always surprising to Din, and didn't always fit Luke’s character. That, however, didn’t mean Luke didn’t look good in them, they brought out his eyes, the beautiful blue eyes that Din had been seeing in his dreams for quite some time now. 

“Hey, do you want to get out of here?” Luke asked, once he got closer to the Mandalorian. 

“I thought you would never ask,” Din said, wrapping an arm around Luke’s shoulders. 

The pair made their way out of the party, making their way to Leia’s guesthouse. They were laughing about the messy senators, and how all of Leia’s parties always ended up like this, with everyone too intoxicated to stand. Luke was a bit buzzed, holding onto Din a bit tighter when they got to the house. Din unlocked the door, and they moved inside, standing in the living room. Din watched as Luke clumsily took off his cloak, peeling off his shoes. Their voices echoing in the mostly empty house. 

“I think Han pays the bartenders extra to give everyone a little more, so he can sit back and watch them all make fools of themselves, because that one drink I had was strong” Luke laughed, and Din chuckled. 

“He must have paid them big money, I’ve never seen a senator flirt so hard before,” Din said, and Luke looked up at him, a shit-eating grin appearing on his face. 

“I could feel the jealousy rising off of you across the room, did I not give you enough attention tonight?” Luke teased, and Din shook his head. 

“You’re a brat,” Din stated, and Luke let out one of his belly laughs, stopping in his tracks to take deep breaths. 

After he calmed down, Luke grabbed Din’s hands, pulling him close. The house lights were all off, just the moonlight and streetlight streaming in from the windows. Luke’s eyes looked impossibly bright, even in this low-light. Reaching up, Luke pulled off Din’s helmet, eyes meeting his own, and each time, it knocked the breath out of Din’s chest. Setting it on the table next to them, Luke wrapped his arms around Din’s neck, burying his fingers in his soft brown curls, while Din wrapped his around Luke’s waist. Leaning down, Din pressed a chaste kiss to Luke’s impossibly red lips, then pressed his forehead to Luke’s. 

“ _Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, Cyar’ika_ ,” Din whispered, and Luke gave him another golden smile. 

“I love you too, Din.” 

“Bah!” The pair turned, seeing Grogu waddling over to them, with Artoo beeping aggressively behind him. 

“Hey kid! You’re supposed to be in bed,” Luke laughed, crouching down to collect him in his arms, “Okay, say goodnight to buir, and let’s get back in bed.” 

Grogu babbled tiredly, as he reached out for Din, who smiled down at his son. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to the top of Grogu’s head, who cooed happily in response. Resting his head on Luke’s shoulder, the pair made their way out of the living, with the droid hot on their path. 

Din watched as they walked, Luke whispering under his breath to their son, and the view of them created an impossible feeling in his chest. Their clan of three. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! You can find me on tumblr [here~!](https://skywalker-swift.tumblr.com)


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